Kershaw's of Springhead operated from Springhead Garage until they moved just up the road towards Grotton in about 1938, into new premises opposite the bottom of Cooper Street.

They operated just this one coach, BU 4779, a superb Gilford with coachwork by Petty. It was supplied by Empire Garage in Lee Street, Oldham and cost ��1200 when new in 1927. James Kershaw believed the only other Gilford to operate in the area was a later model owned by Woods in Ashton.

With a Lycoming petrol engine, Gilfords were particularly fast vehicles but the speed limit was only 12 mile/h (as marked on the side of the coach). James recalls being caught running a measured mile in Salford at 18 mile/h when he was only seventeen. Apparently the police on their AJS motor cycles would hide behind the coach where the driver couldn't see them!

Despite the speed limit he once drove back from Blackpool in one and a half hours. Not bad with the roads of the day! This involved having a young lad on the back seat watching out for following police motorcycles.

Photograph by James Kershaw, courtesy of Peter Greaves.